Systems and Methods for Vehicle Information Management

ABSTRACT

A computerized system for vehicle management. The system may include a database including information regarding vehicles in a set of vehicles and customer accounts. The system may also include: a server coupled to the database that serves user interface pages; a login mechanism; logic implementing rules regarding a relationship between system users on the one hand and information regarding vehicles and customer accounts on the other hand; a search mechanism and a search results interface; and logic that serves a customer account interface, the customer account interface displaying information regarding customer accounts to the extent allowed by rules regarding the relationship between system users and information regarding vehicles and customer accounts. The information regarding customer accounts may include information regarding payments and time remaining in leases in respective customer accounts, or other information. Also described are an internet-based system, a method for vehicle management, and a vehicle management system.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/781,166, filed Mar. 10, 2006, which application is incorporatedherein by reference.

This application is related to copending patent application Ser. No.______ for Systems And Methods For Vehicle Lifecycle Management,invented by Zachary Emerson Hallowell and Clarence Joseph Hammond, filedconcurrently herewith, which application is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Organizations are called upon to manage inventories of vehicles. Theinventories may include, for example, vehicles under lease agreements.Considerable amounts are invested in the inventories, and considerableattention may be involved in managing the vehicles. Accordingly, thereis a need for improved methods and systems relative to computer-assistedvehicle inventory management.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specificationare herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if eachindividual publication or patent application was specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a hierarchy diagram, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a user interface for maturities searching,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a user interface for search results, according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a user interface for search results for accounts,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a user interface for customer intent tracking,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 100 is a block diagram of a system with a bidding tool, accordingto an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 200 is a more detailed block diagram of a system with a biddingtool, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, embodiments are provided by way of example only.Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions are possible withoutdeparting from the invention. It should be understood that variousalternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may beemployed in practicing the invention.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and systems formanaging inventories of vehicles. Embodiments are directed to managingthe lifecycle, including sale, of sets of used vehicles. The vehiclesmay be managed by members of a wholesale community of dealers, andpresented for sale within such community. An embodiment of the systemallows for the viewing of vehicle inventory information, theregistration of a return of the vehicle, the offering of the vehicle forsale to one or more various groups of wholesale buyers and potentialconsignment to a transporter. An embodiment of the system also supportsthe association of electronic inspections with and the display of,inspection information.

An embodiment of the invention may be directed to a system that storesinformation about a set of vehicles and allows users to view informationabout the vehicles. Access to the information may be controlled so thatvarious individuals and/or organizations have different access to theinformation. The information may be provided to parties other than theowners of the vehicles in order to facilitate sale of the vehicles. Forexample, according to an embodiment, information regarding vehicles in afleet that includes rental vehicles may be provided to various otherdealers. This may in turn facilitate sale of vehicles. As a result,according to some embodiments, information regarding the vehicles ismoved electronically to facilitate sale, which can help to avoid some ofthe physical movement of the vehicles in the sales process.

Electronic notifications may be provided to various systems and usersupon events in the life cycle of the vehicles. This information mayinclude, for example, notification that a vehicle has been returned inconnection with a lease or rental. The notifications may be provided tothe organization that owns the vehicle, or other organization ororganizations. Information regarding vehicles may be offered exclusivelyto a particular organization or organizations. For example, informationregarding vehicles may be offered exclusively to the grounding dealer. Agrounding dealer is the dealer to which a vehicle is turned in by theuser (e.g., upon conclusion of lease or rental contract), and is alsoreferred to the turn-in dealer. The electronic information regardingvehicles may include details regarding the physical aspects of thevehicle, such as make, model, and configuration. The electronicinformation regarding vehicles may also or alternatively include detailsregarding the contractual arrangements related to the vehicle and/orcustomer or user of the vehicle. Thus, customer account information maybe maintained and made available by the system to a user or varioususers.

The embodiments may be implemented in systems, such as network-basedsystems, and/or in methods, such as computer software methods.Embodiments may include combinations of systems and processes.

Various embodiments may include processes and/or systems having thefollowing features in whole, in part, or in various combinations:

-   -   Vehicle is loaded into an electronic system as data (for        example, as inventory data)        -   Data is accessible by designated users (such as sellers) at            any point from the vehicle being loaded into the database            via a personal computer        -   Vehicle description and accessory information is displayed            (the description may include year, make, model, series,            engine, transmission, drivetrain, mileage (odometer),            photographs)        -   Seller may manually set prices via a web interface        -   Seller may choose to accelerate the vehicles lifecycle and            release the vehicle for sale to buyers    -   Maturity manager—users associated with the vehicle (seller,        originator of lease or rental contract, potential buyers) may        access and view the vehicle information and aspects of the        vehicle's lifecycle.        -   Users have a search function to allow them to search for a            specific vehicle or group of vehicles        -   Users can view vehicle information and, if a lease vehicle,            may indicate the customer's intent to purchase, or not            purchase, the vehicle at end of contract to lease/rent the            vehicle    -   Vehicle return manager        -   Upon the end of the vehicle's lease contract, the customer            will return the vehicle to a location.        -   A user associated with the location will record the return            in the system, which will update the vehicle's status to            either be available for sale to users associated with the            grounding location (provided specific parameters are met) or            will move the vehicle to a non-purchasable status. The            return includes entering and recording information regarding            the vehicle such as return date, final mileage, indication            of condition.        -   The vehicle's location, final mileage and responses to            questions asked during the return process will be stored in            a database.        -   A vehicle return receipt will be generated which will be            printable and may contain an electronic signature. An            electronic message version of the receipt may be generated,            for example as an e-mail.    -   Exclusive grounding location availability        -   Upon completion of vehicle return, the vehicle may be            offered for online purchase to a user associated with the            grounding location of the vehicle        -   The user(s) will have an exclusive period in which to view            the vehicle and decide whether or not to purchase.        -   The user may indicate that they do not want to purchase the            vehicle, which will accelerate the vehicle's availability to            other users. For example, after receipt of the indication,            the vehicle may be made available immediately for purchase            by other users.    -   Non-grounding, affiliated user availability        -   Upon expiration of the exclusive grounding location            availability period, the vehicle will be made available on a            web-site for sale to a group of affiliated dealers, who have            a contractual relationship with the seller of the vehicle.        -   The vehicle will continue to be available to the grounding            location's user during this period.    -   Consignment        -   An electronic notification may be sent to a transporter for            vehicles that do not sell.    -   Data transmissions        -   Vehicle status updates will be transmitted electronically to            the vehicle owner.

An embodiment of the invention is directed to an online system allowingan automobile dealership to track the status of vehicles andcorresponding lease or retail loan customer accounts for which they havebeen assigned or assumed responsibility from the financing company.

An embodiment may be password protected and provided in anetwork-deployed system (such as a web-deployed system). Variousembodiments may include in whole, in part, or in various combinations:

-   -   A set of data, stored in a database, composed of vehicle        information and user lease or retail account information. Within        the data may be an indicator of whether the customer is        pre-approved for reduced rate financing and whether the customer        is on the federal, state or corporate do not call lists.    -   A username and password protected login screen, presented in a        web browser or similar mechanism.    -   A set of rules governing the relationship between the user and        the vehicle and customer data to be retrieved.    -   A set of rules governing the vehicle and account data to be        displayed.    -   An account search page, where the user can adjust controls        related to defining a set of data to be returned in search        results.    -   A search results page, containing summary vehicle and account        information, which can be downloaded in multiple formats. The        result set would be governed by the rules applicable to the        user, account and vehicle.    -   An account information page, on which detailed customer and        vehicle information is displayed, containing a set of controls        for storing the customer intent.

For both maturing and past-maturity leases, an embodiment may include ahierarchy of rules that define which dealership(s) may view the leaseaccount information. Dealers lower in the hierarchy may view limited orno information. For example, the levels may include:

-   -   Preferred dealer (occurs when a lessee notifies the lessor that        they would like to turn-in or patronize a dealership other than        their originating dealer, for example in the case of disputes        with their current or originating dealer)    -   Originating dealer (where the lessee leased the car from). If        there is no preferred dealer, the user may be displayed to the        originating dealer    -   Non-originating, non-preferred dealer—may not view the vehicle        or account information in the maturity manager.

For example, if the service provider receives records for a particularvehicle reaching maturity that indicates that the vehicle has both anoriginating dealer and a preferred dealer, only the preferred dealerwill be able to view the upcoming maturity in the system.

FIG. 1 is a hierarchy diagram, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

According to an embodiment, vehicles will only become visible throughthe maturity manager when the account and vehicle information passspecific rules, provided by the finance company. Thus, for accounts forleased vehicles, according to various levels of permissions, accountsfor vehicles may be visible for all accounts, or for accounts dependingon: whether there is a condition report, the maturity date of theunderlying contract or other arrangement (for example, whether thecurrent date or time is within a particular date or time range ascompared to the maturity date), vehicle model year, vehicle model and/orcustomer intent (including whether the customer is on a do not call listor database). Visibility of accounts may depend on whether the accountsare approved or not pre-approved. According to an embodiment, the rulesare provided by a finance company, such as the finance company thatprovides the financing for the respective vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a user interface for maturities searching,according to an embodiment of the invention. The interface may includeuser options to search based on type of account 21, approval type 22,condition report status 23, maturities date range 24, model years 25,model types 26, customer intent 27, and omitting customers on the do notcall list 28. The system uses the various choices from these inputs tosearch for respective accounts and/or vehicles. For example, the type ofaccount may be lease, rental, or loan, and the approval type may bepre-approved or not pre-approved. The condition report status 23 mayinclude the option to search based on whether the vehicle has acondition report, or to search for vehicles without condition reports,or based on the condition report. The maturities date range 24 allowsfor entry of ranges of dates in which the respective agreement or otherarrangement matures, and to cause a search to occur based on therespective range. Model years 25 may also be a range of a from and a tomodel year on which the search may be based. Model types 26 may includemodels selectable from a list of models, or series, or other vehicletypes. Customer intent 27 may include all intents, whether the customerintends to purchase a new vehicle, and/or other intent. The option toomit customers on the do not call list may be a binary option, such as acheck box that simply indicates that the system is to omit customers onthe do not call list. Pre-approval may refer to whether the customer ispre-approved for financing of another vehicle transaction (such aspurchase or lease) and the amount of financing for which such customeris pre-approved.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a user interface for search results, according toan embodiment of the invention. The system shows respective accountsand/or vehicles in response to a search request. Different fields may bedisplayed based on the different type of accounts the dealer wasreviewing. For example, the fields may be different depending on whetherthe accounts were for retail accounts versus lease accounts, and whetherthe accounts were pre-approved or not pre-approved. The accounts mayhave customer intent information, which may be updated as appropriate.Non pre-approved accounts may be displayed in the same fields aspre-approved accounts, but may indicate n/a or other designation to theextent that the respective data does not apply. Accounts that were on ado not call list may have an indication such as an icon indicating thatthey are on such a list.

The interface may include items such as sort criteria 31, and accountsprovided in response to the search, such as accounts 32 a, 32 b, and 32c. Accounts may be shown in the short format without detail, such asaccounts 32 a and 32 b shown here, or with more detailed record, such asaccount 32 c, which includes detailed information 32 d. This detailedinformation may include items such as the type and year of the vehicle,the VIN, the account person's name, and/or maturity date, while the moredetailed information may include information such as the address,telephone numbers, MSRP, adjusted maturity date, capital costs, andother detailed information as shown, which may be provided in variouscombinations or sub-combinations. The interface may include an option toadd the vehicle to a watch list 34. Additionally, the interface mayinclude an option to download the results, such as to a external file,such as an Excel file by making the appropriate selection. Searchresults may be sorted, such as shown here with option 31, by criteriasuch as VIN, year, make, model, mileage, color, maturity, name, or othercriteria.

Various embodiments of the invention may include the following, orvarious subsets of combinations thereof in search functionality, forexample, associated with a maturity manager:

-   -   The search may look for all vehicles prior to return, provided        they meet the visibility rules outlined above.    -   If a single vehicle was returned, then the user is taken to a        update customer intent page.    -   Customer contact information will be scrubbed against the do not        call lists. The system shows the contact information but        indicates the do not call status with an icon.    -   Dealer sees grounded vehicles via a link to grounded vehicles.    -   For the retail pre-approved report, if the good through date is        less than the system date, then the retail vehicles are not        displayed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a user interface for search results for retailaccounts, according to an embodiment of the invention. The interface mayinclude options to sort by various criteria 31, and search results 32 a,32 b, and 32 c. The interface may also include the option to addrespective items to a watchlist 34. The interface may include options toprovide vehicle detail, provide a condition report with images, and/orprovide a condition report 35. Detailed information may be provided forrespective search results, as shown here detailed information 32 d thatcorresponds to search result 32 c.

According to various embodiments of the invention, certain informationstored in the system may be downloaded to certain users. Thisinformation may be downloaded according to various formats, for example,.csv (or .pdf) formats. Such downloadable fields may include thefollowing, or subsets thereof, or various combinations orsubcombinations thereof:

For lease pre-approved, or non pre-approved accounts,

-   -   VIN    -   Year, make, model, series    -   Color    -   Lessee first name, lessee last name    -   Maturity date    -   Address 1, city, state, zip    -   Home telephone number    -   Work telephone number    -   Lease account number    -   Adjusted maturity date    -   Good through date    -   MSRP    -   Cap cost    -   Pre-approval amount    -   Monthly payment    -   Security deposit    -   Estimated GPO    -   APR    -   Pre-approval number    -   Pre-approval type    -   1Account type    -   Term    -   Remaining months    -   Contract mileage

For Retail pre-approved accounts,

-   -   VIN    -   Year, make, model, series    -   Lease account number    -   Lessee first name, lessee last name    -   Address 1, city, state, zip    -   Home telephone number    -   Work telephone number    -   Start date    -   Maturity date    -   Good through date    -   Loan amount    -   Loan balance    -   Pre-approval amount    -   Monthly payment    -   Estimated GPO    -   APR    -   Pre-approval number    -   Pre-approval type    -   Account type

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a user interface for customer intent tracking,according to an embodiment of the invention. The interface may includecustomer account information 41, customer intent information 42, andupdate inputs 43. The customer account information may includeinformation about the vehicle and the respective arrangement regardingthe vehicle. The information regarding the vehicle may include variousitems of information regarding the vehicle, such as the model, year,make, series, VIN, account number. The information regarding thecustomer may include the customer name, address, telephone numbers. Theinformation regarding the arrangement may include information regardinga financial or lease arrangement regarding the vehicle. This informationregarding the arrangement may include items such as maturity date,adjusted maturity date, price, capital cost, monthly payment, GPO/APR,and/or other information regarding the customer account. Customer intentinformation may include information regarding when the customer intendsto purchase a vehicle. The information may include a date or other timerelated information regarding when the information was updated and anindication of the user that updated the information. Additionally, priorintent may be stored and displayed.

The update 43 for customer intent may include various fields or othermethods of entry that allow for the customer's intent or relatedinformation to be entered. For example, the customer intent update 43may include current vehicle mileage, whether the customer intends topurchase the current vehicle, the customer's estimated return date,whether the dealer intends to purchase the vehicle, whether apre-inspection has been scheduled (for example, by the lessee), whetherthe customer is interested in purchasing a new vehicle, the customer'scontact number, the customer's email address and notes. The inputregarding whether the customer intends to purchase a new vehicle mayinclude information regarding the vehicle that the customer is intendingto purchase, for example, the type of vehicle. Other informationregarding the purchase may also be included, according to variousembodiments of the invention.

FIG. 100 is a block diagram of a system with a bidding tool, accordingto an embodiment of the invention. Other tools and networkconfigurations may be used according to other embodiments of theinvention. The system shown includes an auction server 101, sellersystem 102, seller system 120, and buyer system 103. Also shown isnetwork 104. Seller system 102 includes web pages 105, and buyer system103 includes web pages 106. Auction server 101 includes software 107 andstorage 110. Software 107 includes administrative software 108 andauction software 109, and storage includes seller information 111 andbuyer information 112. Seller information 111 includes information suchas vehicle information 1 13 and 114, and events information 1 15 whichincludes order 116, rules 117 and catalog 118. Auction server 101 iscoupled to seller system 102 and buyer system 103 via network 104.Software 107 in auction server 101 operates with storage 110.

Seller system 102 includes functionality to manage inventory (such asvehicles), set up and modify bidding events, and manage bidding events.Such functionality may be included directly in seller system 102 or maybe included in auction server 101 or in a combination of software orother logic located in seller system 102 and auction server 101.

Buyer system 103 includes functionality to view catalog items forbidding, to place bids and view an auction, and to select purchase,payment and delivery options for items purchased. This functionality maybe included in functionality on buyer system 103, auction server 101and/or combination of functionality located on auction server 101 andbuyer system 103. The functionality may be implemented in software,hardware, or a combination of hardware and software according to variousembodiments. Thus, according to various embodiments, the implementationsdescribed herein for software may also be implemented in variousconfigurations of software and/or hardware, in distributed or otherconfigurations in various machines and/or networks.

Auction server 101 includes software and storage to manage options andthe users of the auctions. Administrative software 108 manages users andinformation related to users, such as seller information 111 and buyerinformation 112. Auction software 109 controls an auction including theprogress of the auction as requested by seller system 102 and responseto bids made by buyer system 103.

Seller system 102 includes web pages 105 that allow seller to enter anddisplay information regarding auction events, inventory, and relatedadministration.

Buyer system 103 includes web pages 106 that allow a buyer to displayinformation regarding bidding as well as enter information commands inorder to participate in bidding in auctions.

FIG. 200 is a more detailed block diagram of a system with a biddingtool, according to an embodiment of the invention. Other tools andnetwork configurations may be used according to other embodiments of theinvention. In the system 200 shown are auction server 201, seller system202, and buyer system 203. Auction server 201 is coupled to sellersystem 202 and buyer system 203 through Internet 204. FIG. 200 shows amore detailed view of architecture of the various components of theauction system. Auction server 201 may include a processor 209 forprocessing instructions, such as an Intel Pentium™ processor, AMDAthlon™ processor or other processor. Processor 209 is coupled to chipset 208 by a processor bus 211. Chip set 208 is coupled to memory 205 bya memory bus 210 and manages access to memory 205 by processor 209. Chipset 208 is also coupled to peripheral bus 216. Peripheral 216 bus maycomprise, for example, PCI, PCI-X, PCI Express, or other peripheral bus.Auction server 201 also includes one or more network interface cards 207coupled to peripheral bus 216 for providing network interfaces tonetwork, such as Internet 204. Storage 206, such as a disk array orother non-voltage storage, is also coupled to peripheral bus 216.

According to various embodiments, memory 205 and/or storage 206 mayinclude various forms of storage or computer-readable memories such as,but not limited to, volatile memory (random access memory (“RAM”),non-volatile memory (read-only memory (“ROM”)), EEPROM, disk, and/orother storage devices that may include one or more of magnetic, opticalstorage, or other media. The memory and/or storage on the auction servermay be configured as a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)configuration to provide high reliability access to software and data.

Software may be loaded into memory 205 to help provide auction/biddingfunction for auction server 201. For example, web server 212 andreal-time auction software 213 may be loaded into memory 205 and run byprocessor 209. Web server 212 provides web pages for the users tointeract with in order to be provided with auctions/bidding functions.For example, web server 212 may serve up web pages to seller system 202and buyer system 203 in order to allow seller system 202 to manageinventory events and bidding and to allow buyer system 203 to viewevents and auction items to make bids and to participate in auctions.Storage 206 includes information about respective users, such as sellerinformation 214 and buyer information 215. This information is used inorder to manage the inventory of items for sale, configuration ofbidding events, and the processing of real-time bidding. According tovarious embodiments of the invention, auction system 200 may include oneor a plurality of auction servers 201 in various configurations andarchitectures to provide auctions and bidding functionality.

Seller system 202 and/or buyer system 203 may comprise computer systemscoupled to a network such as Internet 204 according to an embodiment. Asshown, seller system 202 includes processor 220 and software componentssuch as a browser 223 and communications software 221. Also included isa display 224 that allows a user to see information regarding auctionsand to perform related administration. Buyer system 203 also includes aprocessor 230, communication software 231, browser 232, and display 233.Various browser software or other software or functionality to provideuser interaction may be used in buyer and seller systems. For example,browsers may include, but are not limited to, Internet Explorer,Netscape browser, Firefox browser, Safari browser or other browser.Alternatively, other user interface software not including a browser maybe used.

Software such as web server 212 and real-time auction software 213 maybe stored in storage 206 or other storage and may be loaded into memory205 for manipulation by processor 209 according to an embodiment of theinvention. Portions of data such as seller information 214 and buyerinformation 215 may be loaded into data structures in memory 205 orother storage for manipulation by processor 209 in accordance withsoftware such as web server 212 and real-time auction software 213. Webserver 212 includes an operating system for managing system resources,such as Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, 98, or NT, Apple OS, Linux, or otheroperating systems as well as applications software running on top of theoperating systems for implementing an HTML server or other server.Information stored in storage 206 may be stored in various forms ofdatabase arrangements and may contain cross references or links to oneanother to allow information to be queried and retrieved. In an exampleembodiment, the information is stored in databases, such as relationaldatabases, and may be queried using structured query language (SQL) orother mechanism.

The system may include a secure connection or connections. For example,in an embodiment of the invention, the entire bidding operation of thesystem operates on a secure connection or connections. Various differenttechnologies may be used to provide a secure connection, such asencryption with, for example, public key and private key encryption. Thesystem may be set up over a virtual private network (VPN).

In an example embodiment, a seller operates seller system 202 throughbrowser 223, communications software 221, and display 224 to set upseller inventory and seller events in seller information storage 214.The seller-user also manages the events and bidding through sellersystem 202, which communicates via Internet 204 with web server 212.

Buyer system 203 interacts with a buyer user, allowing the buyer user toview items and events including the items for auction. The interactionis provided to the buyer user through display 233, browser 232, andcommunications software 231, which are controlled by processor 230.Buyer system in turn communicates with auction server 201 via Internet204. Web server 212 in turn provides buyer system 203 with graphicalinterface pages which may be displayed on display 233.

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a computerized system forvehicle management and purchasing. The system may include a databaseincluding information regarding vehicles in a set of vehicles. Aplurality of the vehicles in the set of vehicles are in arrangementswherein third parties use the vehicles, and the information includesconfiguration of respective vehicles. The system may include a computerinterface that provides access to the description of vehicles in thedatabase and provides for setting price of respective vehicles. Thesystem also may include an option on the user interface to search andsearch logic that allows for searching for vehicles among the set ofvehicles in the database. The system additionally may include an optionon the user interface to indicate intent to purchase a vehicle that iscurrently in an arrangement where a third party uses the vehicle. Thesystem may include a computer interface that receives informationregarding a vehicle returned upon conclusion of an arrangement wherein athird party used the vehicle, and a computer interface to facilitatepurchase of the returned vehicle.

The third parties may comprise renters of respective vehicles and thearrangements wherein third parties use the vehicles may comprise rentalagreements. Alternatively, or additionally, the arrangements whereinthird parties use the vehicles may comprise lease agreements, or financeagreements, and the third parties may comprise owners of the vehicles.

The information regarding vehicles in the set of vehicles may includevehicle identification number (VIN), year, make, model, series, engine,transmission, drivetrain, and photographs of the vehicle. Also,alternatively, the information may include condition and price ofrespective vehicles. The information may also, or alternatively,include: the status of a contract associated with a vehicle, timeremaining on a contract associated with a vehicle, payments made on acontract associated with a vehicle, amount owed on a contract associatedwith a vehicle.

The system may include an option on the user interface to allow a userto sell a vehicle earlier than a normally scheduled time to sell thevehicle. An embodiment of the system includes an interface for receivinginformation regarding a vehicle returned upon conclusion of anarrangement wherein a third party used the vehicle. The information mayinclude items such as vehicle location, final mileage and responses toquestions asked in connection with return of the vehicle. An embodimentmay include logic that generates an electronic receipt upon return of avehicle. Additionally, logic may be included that offers a vehicleexclusively to a grounding location of the vehicle for a period of time.Logic may be included that offers a vehicle exclusively to an entityhaving the grounding location of the vehicle for a period of time, andfollowing receipt of an indication that the entity having the groundinglocation of the vehicle does not want to purchase the vehicle, offersthe vehicle for purchase to others over a computer network.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an Internet-basedsystem including a web server and a database coupled to the web server.The database includes information regarding vehicles in a set ofvehicles. A plurality of the vehicles in the set of vehicles are inarrangements wherein third parties use the vehicles, and the informationincludes condition of respective vehicles. The system includes logic inthe web server that serves a web page to a remotely located userproviding access to the description of the vehicles in the database andprovides for setting price of respective vehicles. Included logic servesa web page to a remotely located user providing an option to search andsearch logic that allows for searching for vehicles among the set ofvehicles in the database. A user is prompted for information regarding avehicle returned upon conclusion of an arrangement wherein a third partyused the vehicle, and the web page is served to facilitate purchase ofthe returned vehicle. The arrangements wherein third parties use thevehicles may comprise rental agreements, lease agreements and financeagreements, according to various embodiments of the invention.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for vehiclemanagement and purchasing. Information regarding the vehicles in a setof vehicles is managed electronically. A plurality of the vehicles inthe set of vehicles are in arrangements wherein third parties use thevehicles, and the information includes configuration, condition andprice of respective vehicles. Vehicles are searched for electronicallyamong the set of vehicles, and search results are displayed. The searchresults include at least some of the vehicles not yet returned andinformation regarding status of the arrangement with the respectivethird party. Information is received electronically regarding thevehicle returned upon conclusion of an arrangement wherein a third partyused the vehicle, and purchase of the returned vehicle is facilitatedthrough an electronic interface.

An embodiment of the invention is directed to a computerized system forvehicle management. The system includes a database including informationregarding the vehicles in the set of vehicles and customer accounts. Theinformation regarding the vehicles includes configuration of respectivevehicles, and the information regarding customer accounts includes linksto vehicles in the set of vehicles owned by respective customers andstatus of customer accounts. The system includes a server coupled to thedatabase that serves user interface pages with vehicle informationincluding information from the database. A protected system loginmechanism for system users is included, as well as logic implementingrules regarding a relationship between system users on the one hand andinformation regarding vehicles and customer accounts on the other hand.A search mechanism is included as well as a search results interface.The search mechanism finds respective vehicles or accounts based onsearch criteria. Logic is included in the server that serves a customeraccount interface. The customer account interface displays informationregarding customer accounts to the extent allowed by the rules regardingthe relationship between system users on the one hand and informationregarding vehicles and customer accounts on the other hand.

The information regarding customer accounts may include informationregarding payments and time remaining in leases in respective customeraccounts. Also, the information regarding customer accounts mayadditionally or alternatively include information regarding payments andtime remaining in loans in respective customer accounts.

An embodiment of the invention includes logic that defines a hierarchyof categories of dealers that may view particular information ofrespective customer accounts. The hierarchy may include preferred dealerusers that can view most sensitive customer account information and atleast another category of dealer users that have access to the systemand cannot view certain customer account information. Logic may beincluded that makes information regarding the vehicle visible only to apreferred dealer if the vehicle has both an originating dealer and apreferred dealer.

An embodiment of the invention includes a first user interface forretail accounts and a second user interface for lease accounts. Anembodiment of the invention may include pre-approval information.Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a computerized systemfor vehicle management including a database including informationregarding vehicles in a set of vehicles and customer accounts. Thesystem may include logic implementing rules regarding relationshipbetween system users on the one hand and information regarding vehiclesand customer accounts on the other hand. The system may include a searchmechanism, customer account interface, and logic that causes thecustomer account interface to display information regarding somevehicles before the vehicles are returned and not other vehicles beforethe vehicles are returned based on rules for visibility of respectivevehicles. The rules may be configurable to allow display based onexistence of a condition report, status of maturity of an underlyingfinancial arrangement for the vehicle, model year of the vehicle, andcustomer intent.

Another embodiment of the invention is directed to an Internet-basedsystem comprising a web server, a database, protected system login,logic implementing rules regarding relationship between system users onthe one hand and information regarding vehicles and customer accounts onthe other hand, a search mechanism, logic for serving search resultsbased on vehicles or accounts found based on search criteria, and logicserving a customer account web page. The database may includeinformation regarding vehicles in a set of vehicles and customeraccounts. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a methodfor vehicle management. Information regarding vehicles in a set ofvehicles is maintained electronically. A plurality of the vehicles inthe set of vehicles are in arrangements wherein third parties use thevehicles. The information may include configuration, condition and priceof respective vehicles. Users are prompted for passwords and vehiclesare searched electronically among the set of vehicles. Search resultsare displayed and may include at least some vehicles not yet returnedand information regarding the status of the arrangement with respect tothe third party. Information may be received electronically regardingthe vehicle returned upon conclusion of an arrangement wherein a thirdparty used the vehicle, and in response to the user request with searchcriteria, vehicles or accounts are searched for based on the searchcriteria. A set of user permissions is maintained, wherein the userpermissions determine whether respective users have access to respectiveaccounts, and information displayed regarding customer accounts to usersbased on user permissions.

Aspects of the systems and methods described herein may be implementedas functionality programmed into any of a variety of circuitry,including programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as field programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), programmable array logic (PAL) devices,electrically programmable logic and memory devices and standardcell-based devices, as well as application specific integrated circuits(ASICs). Some other possibilities for implementing aspects of thesystems and methods include microcontrollers with memory, embeddedmicroprocessors, firmware, software, etc. Furthermore, aspects of thesystems and methods may be embodied in microprocessors havingsoftware-based circuit emulation, discrete logic (sequential andcombinatorial), custom devices, fuzzy (neural network) logic, quantumdevices, and hybrids of any of the above device types. Of course theunderlying device technologies may be provided in a variety of componenttypes, e.g., metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)technologies like complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS),bipolar technologies like emitter-coupled logic (ECL), polymertechnologies (e.g., silicon-conjugated polymer and metal-conjugatedpolymer-metal structures), mixed analog and digital, etc.

It should be noted that the various functions or processes disclosedherein may be described as data and/or instructions embodied in variouscomputer-readable media, in terms of their behavioral, registertransfer, logic component, transistor, layout geometries, and/or othercharacteristics. Computer-readable media in which such formatted dataand/or instructions may be embodied include, but are not limited to,non-volatile storage media in various forms (e.g., optical, magnetic orsemiconductor storage media) and carrier waves that may be used totransfer such formatted data and/or instructions through wireless,optical, or wired signaling media or any combination thereof. Examplesof transfers of such formatted data and/or instructions by carrier wavesinclude, but are not limited to, transfers (uploads, downloads, email,etc.) over the Internet and/or other computer networks via one or moredata transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP, FTP, SMTP, etc.). When receivedwithin a computer system via one or more computer-readable media, suchdata and/or instruction-based expressions of components and/or processesunder the systems and methods may be processed by a processing entity(e.g., one or more processors) within the computer system in conjunctionwith execution of one or more other computer programs.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words ‘comprise,’ ‘comprising,’ and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of ‘including,but not limited to.’ Words using the singular or plural number alsoinclude the plural or singular number, respectively. Additionally, thewords ‘herein,’ ‘hereunder,’ ‘above,’ ‘below,’ and words of similarimport refer to this application as a whole and not to any particularportions of this application. When the word ‘or’ is used in reference toa list of two or more items, that word covers all of the followinginterpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of theitems in the list and any combination of the items in the list.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the systems andmethods is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the systems andmethods to the precise form disclosed. While specific embodiments of,and examples for, the systems and methods are described herein forillustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possiblewithin the scope of the systems and methods, as those skilled in therelevant art will recognize. The teachings of the systems and methodsprovided herein can be applied to other processing systems and methods,not only for the systems and methods described above.

The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can becombined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can bemade to the systems and methods in light of the above detaileddescription.

1. A computerized system for vehicle management comprising: a databaseincluding information regarding vehicles in a set of vehicles, whereinthe information regarding the vehicles includes configuration ofrespective vehicles, and customer accounts, wherein the informationregarding customer accounts includes links to vehicles in the set ofvehicles owned by respective customers and status of customer accounts;a server coupled to the database that serves user interface pages withvehicle information including information from the database; a protectedsystem login mechanism for system users; logic implementing rulesregarding a relationship between system users on the one hand andinformation regarding vehicles and customer accounts on the other hand;a search mechanism and a search results interface, the search mechanismfinding respective vehicles or accounts based on search criteria; andlogic in the server that serves a customer account interface, thecustomer account interface displaying information regarding customeraccounts to the extent allowed by the rules regarding the relationshipbetween system users on the one hand and information regarding vehiclesand customer accounts on the other hand.
 2. The computerized system forvehicle management of claim 1, wherein the information regardingcustomer accounts includes information regarding payments and timeremaining in leases in respective customer accounts.
 3. The computerizedsystem for vehicle management of claim 1, wherein the informationregarding customer accounts includes information regarding payments andtime remaining in loans in respective customer accounts.
 4. Thecomputerized system for vehicle management of claim 1, wherein theinformation regarding customer accounts includes customer contactinformation.
 5. The computerized system for vehicle management of claim1, wherein the information regarding customer accounts includesinformation regarding whether the customer is registered not to becalled in a do-not-call database.
 6. The computerized system for vehiclemanagement of claim 1, wherein the customer account interface includescontrols for storing customer intent.
 7. The computerized system forvehicle management of claim 1, including logic that defines particulardealer users that may view lease information of respective customeraccounts.
 8. The computerized system for vehicle management of claim 1,including logic that defines a hierarchy of categories of dealer usersthat may view particular information of respective customer accounts,the hierarchy including preferred dealer users that can view mostsensitive customer account information; and at least another category ofdealer users that have access to the system and cannot view certaincustomer account information.
 9. The computerized system for vehiclemanagement of claim 1, including logic that makes information regardingthe vehicle visible only to a preferred dealer if the vehicle has bothan originating dealer and a preferred dealer.
 10. The computerizedsystem for vehicle management of claim 1, including a user option toselect between leased and purchased vehicles.
 11. The computerizedsystem for vehicle management of claim 1, including a user option toselect vehicles having maturities of their underlying arrangementswithin a specified time range.
 12. The computerized system for vehiclemanagement of claim 1, wherein the customer account user interfaceincludes: vehicle model; vehicle identification number (VIN); accountnumber; and maturity date.
 13. The computerized system for vehiclemanagement of claim 1, wherein the customer account user interfaceincludes loan balance.
 14. The computerized system for vehiclemanagement of claim 1, including: a first user interface for retailaccounts; and a second user interface for lease accounts.
 15. Thecomputerized system for vehicle management of claim 1, includingpre-approval information.
 16. A computerized system for vehiclemanagement comprising: a database including information regardingvehicles in a set of vehicles, wherein the information regarding thevehicles includes configuration of respective vehicles, and customeraccounts, wherein the information regarding customer accounts includeslinks to vehicles in the set of vehicles owned by respective customersand status of customer accounts; a protected system login mechanism forsystem users; logic implementing rules regarding relationship betweensystem users on the one hand and information regarding vehicles andcustomer accounts on the other hand; a search mechanism and a searchresults interface, the search mechanism finding respective vehicles oraccounts based on search criteria; a customer account interface, thecustomer account interface displaying information regarding customeraccounts; and logic that causes the customer account interface todisplay information regarding some vehicles before the vehicles arereturned, and not other vehicles before the vehicles are returned, basedon rules for visibility of respective vehicles.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein the rules are configurable to allow display based on:existence of a condition report; status of maturity of an underlyingfinancial arrangement for the vehicle; model year of the vehicle; andcustomer intent.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the rules areconfigurable to allow display based on whether the underlying financialarrangement for the vehicle is within a selectable number of days frommaturity.
 19. An internet-based system comprising: a web server coupledto the database that serves web pages with vehicle information; adatabase coupled to the web server including information regardingvehicles in a set of vehicles, wherein the information regarding thevehicles includes configuration of respective vehicles, and customeraccounts, wherein the information regarding customer accounts includeslinks to vehicles in the set of vehicles owned by respective customersand status of customer accounts; a protected system login mechanism inthe web server for system users; logic in the web server implementingrules regarding relationship between system users on the one hand andinformation regarding vehicles and customer accounts on the other hand;a search mechanism receiving requests via the web server for searches,the search mechanism finding respective vehicles or accounts based onsearch criteria; logic in the web server serving a search results webpage based on vehicles or accounts found based on the search criteria;and logic in the web server serving a customer account web page, thecustomer account web page displaying information regarding customeraccounts.
 20. A method for vehicle management comprising: electronicallymaintaining information regarding vehicles in a set of vehicles, whereina plurality of the vehicles in the set of vehicles are in arrangementswherein third parties use the vehicles, wherein the information includesconfiguration, condition, and price of respective vehicles; promptingusers for a password before providing access; electronically searchingfor vehicles among the set of vehicles, and displaying search results,the search results including at least some vehicles not yet returned,and information regarding status of the arrangement with the respectivethird party; electronically receiving information regarding a vehiclereturned upon conclusion of an arrangement wherein a third party usedthe vehicle; in response to user request with search criteria, searchingfor and finding respective vehicles or accounts based on the searchcriteria; maintaining a set of user permissions, wherein the userpermissions determine whether respective users have access to respectiveaccounts; and displaying information regarding customer accounts tousers based on user permissions.
 21. A vehicle management systemcomprising: means for electronically maintaining information regardingvehicles in a set of vehicles, wherein a plurality of the vehicles inthe set of vehicles are in arrangements wherein third parties use thevehicles, wherein the information includes configuration, condition, andprice of respective vehicles; means for prompting users for a passwordbefore providing access; means for electronically searching for vehiclesamong the set of vehicles, and displaying search results, the searchresults including at least some vehicles not yet returned, andinformation regarding status of the arrangement with the respectivethird party; means for electronically receiving information regarding avehicle returned upon conclusion of an arrangement wherein a third partyused the vehicle; means for, in response to user request with searchcriteria, searching for and finding respective vehicles or accountsbased on the search criteria; means for maintaining a set of userpermissions, wherein the user permissions determine whether respectiveusers have access to respective accounts; and means for displayinginformation regarding customer accounts to users based on userpermissions.